Shropshire’s leading judo players are celebrating a remarkable quadruple medal haul at a major international tournament.Both Gemma Howell and Kelly Edwards returned from Mauritius with a brace of medals to show for exceptional performances in the Commonwealth Championships over the weekend.

Gemma, 17, claimed gold in both the junior and senior events in the under-57kgs category.

Kelly, 16, made it a Shropshire double in the junior competition before adding a senior bronze in the under-48kgs category.

Competing against the best the 11 competing nations had to offer, Telford-based Gemma battled her way through the qualifying rounds before clinching the senior title by defeating India’s Deni Nirupama Laishram in the final.

That followed her success in the junior ranks 24 hours earlier, when two of her fights were won inside 35 seconds.

Thomas Telford sixth former Kelly, won all her fights in the junior competition by ippon as she romped to the gold medal.

But her dreams of adding a second gold medal were ended in the semi-final of the senior competition when she was beaten by Cameroon’s Philomene Bata in the semi-finals.

The dual success continues a stunning run for the pair who, along with Shrewsbury’s Sarah Adlington, brought Shropshire glory in the British Senior Closed Championships last month.